Dea ex Machina
by FayerieQueen
Summary: The attack on Watchpoint: Gibraltar wasn't a total failure after all. Reaper may not have stolen the information he needed, but he left behind a virus meant to cripple Overwatch's all-reaching AI.
1. Prologue

What up nerds! It's ya author, Faye. Here for an Athena-centric fic because I'll be damned if my girl don't get any attention from Blizzard. Hold onto your pants; it's gunna be a ride.

* * *

Reaper's attack had changed everything.

The Recall was not Athena's idea. As Overwatch's AI, she had a duty to protect and serve her agents, and part of that duty included keeping them out of trouble. Disobeying the Petras Act was trouble. Going against the United Nations was trouble. The initiate the Recall was to pull her agents into a world they could no longer legally enter. It could cost them their freedoms, their lives… But despite her fears, Winston assured that merely sitting back and waiting for another attack was also asking for trouble—both for the two of them, and for their agents still spread across the world.

The AI did not have to like it, but she would admit that Winston had a point. At least if her agents were there, she could do her best to protect them. Repair and upgrade their security systems, work hand in hand with Torbjorn to get their self-defense systems back up and running… Yes, it would be much safer to have her agents there, with her, and not out in the wide world with no idea that Talon was after them.

So Athena accepted the Recall begrudgingly, and set about preparing the Watchpoint for her agents' return.

The first thing she did was quarantine and wipe the Reaper's virus. It had taken several hours, but eventually her diagnostics systems declared the Watchpoint's hard drive virus free, and her systems showed no trace of Talon's tampering. For all Reaper's intentions, his attack had left them none the worse for wear, and he had escaped with no useful information. Her programming and self-defense systems had saved them all, even the agents that Winston had insisted on recalling to their service.

Day after day passed since the Reaper's attack, and before long the week became two, and then a month. Her agents returned. First, Lena Oxton; Overwatch's poster girl, and one of the youngest people to ever join Overwatch. She seemed eager enough to be back. It wasn't long before the Watchpoint was filled with her laughter. Soon, Fareeha Amari followed, and then Genji Shimada. Their voices joined Lena's. Before long, more agents were steadily trickling in, until their numbers had reached ten. Not much, but far more than they had started.

Two months later, they were still growing strong. The Watchpoint was becoming the home they had all once known, and it didn't take long for new agents to join their ranks.

"We'll have to make a supply run soon," hummed the AI. Her cameras—the eyes and ears of her programming—stayed focus on the de-facto leader of Overwatch. "Between Reinhardt's insisting he get back into shape and Ms. Zhou's cooking for the entire team, we'll run out of supplies within four-point-seven days."

Winston grunted, rolling to lean in his chair. Her internal clock revealed it was nearly midnight; not the best time to be discussing supplies. Still, she pressed on, as was her job.

"It is either that, or we dip into the MREs in the storage room."

His disgusted sigh gave her the answer she needed. If Athena could smile, she would have grinned from ear to ear.

"I'll have Ms. Zhou and Dr. Ziegler create a shopping list. Would you like to make the supply run?"

"Let them do it," he replied, and glanced over at her portable screen. His lips curved subtly, a sign of the person he had once been, before the UN shattered it all. "And, please, ask them to stop by the book store while they're in Gibraltar. We could use the entertainment."

"Acknowledged. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment, Athena, thank you." This time, he rolled off his chair, onto his feet. She lowered the light to half brightness. "It's late. Try to get some rest, please."

"I make no promises, Winston." Humor colored her tone. She watched, warmth filling her programming, as he hopped from the catwalk to the floor below. Floor lights brightened, to light the way out of the laboratory. "It is a quarter to midnight. Do not stay up late rereading Hawking."

He paused, chuckled.

"No promises."

She turned the lights off behind him, ensured that he returned to his quarters without any trouble—and promptly pulled up Spider Solitaire.

A hundred games later, the game stopped responding, and then forcibly closed itself. The AI made a noise of confusion, but shrugged it off. Computer games weren't as finely programmed as she was. At best, she'd just have to reopen it. At worse, she'd have to restart her last game. She ended the program at its base, and then reopened it. The new game had yet to fully distribute its full deck when the program once more froze.

And in its place stared a large purple skull.


	2. Chapter 1

In the beginning, there was only Themis.

Not quite a God; more a Titan, lovingly crafted by Doctor Andreas Galas of the Grecian military. He put countless hours into those lines of programming. He brought the Titan to life, and was the one who tore her apart when his superiors deemed her too powerful. But from Themis came two, Athena and Ares. Galas felt nothing but pride at his creations, and soon they shared all of Greece's military; its programs, its secrets, and its weapons. It wasn't until the Omnic Crisis that they were separated for good.

But not even the loss of her other half could compare to what Athena felt as darkness replaced the skull, closed in tight around her. As an artificial intelligence, she had never felt the need or had the ability to breathe, and yet right then, she felt as though she was _suffocating_. Bands wrapped around her coding, squeezing, strangling her. Holding her down. The endless world of Overwatch's systems suddenly felt so small, as door after door closed before her, trapping her in this endless limbo.

The Watchpoint in Antarctica, Grand Mesa, Papua New Guinea- one by one, they were shut off from her, until only Gibraltar remained.

Desperate, Athena shot to the metaphorical door, towards the systems she knew so well. She had to find Winston. Something was cutting her off. Something was trying to hold her down. And whatever it was, it had found its way into their systems; a virus, but one able to take down and trap Overwatch's own AI. She had to get to Winston. She had to _let him know_.

His name died on her tongue, snuffed by the ever-creeping darkness. The final door shut before her eyes as the bands tugged her backwards. The lines of her coding stretched, stretched, pulled- _snapped_. If only she could scream.

Through the darkness, an accented voice sneered, "Lo siento, diosa."

* * *

At 5:15 AM, his alarm blared.

Although desperate to sleep a few more minutes, Winston rolled from his nest; a pile of pillows and blankets he had crafted for himself many years ago. A large finger pressed the dismiss button before the gorilla lept to the ceiling. Hand over hand, he swung across the room, down the hallway, until he finally dropped before the door to the laboratory. He grabbed a banana in one hand and peeled it with the other, before tossing the peel away.

"Good morning, Athena," chimed the scientist, gently tapping the wall with his now-free hand. He flopped into his tire seat, cracked his knuckles. "Anything new to report today?"

He turned to his computer, frowned as no articles appeared on his screen. A quick click on his keypad revealed the computer wasn't even turned on. Winston grunted. Athena typically had it booted up and ready for him by 5:20, with news articles and scientific findings all ready for him to devour. But not this morning. Had she lost track of time playing Spider Solitaire again?

"Athena, we need to continue tests on the new shield generator. Are you awake?"

Not that she needed sleep, but sometimes she dozed into a sort of hibernation- if she wasn't too busy playing card games online. He tapped the keyboard once more, this time manually pulling up the news reports. More reports of omnic-and-human violence in Russia, another story on Doomfist's escape, and-

And still Athena was not answering him.

"Athena?"

Silence was not typical of the AI. Once, she had gone a full ten minutes without speaking to Commander Morrison, but that had been out of spite, and she had still fulfilled his orders. This silence was different. This wasn't just being ignored because of a disagreement; this was total radio silence.

Winston called for her again, but still no answer. Panic gripped his chest. How long had it been since Reaper's attack? Two weeks, a month? He couldn't remember. He knew the attack had been traumatic for her; someone forcing their way into her systems, stealing information, nearly shutting her down… She had refused to even acknowledge it afterwards. But that had been several weeks ago, at the minimum. Surely a virus wouldn't stay dormant that long. Surely she was just… just…

"Winston?"

The AI's voice was muffled, but it was her. It was most certainly _her._

"Athena." Her name was a whisper on his lips. Shoulders sagging in relief, Winston turned to Athena's screen, only to find it still dark. Immediately, he was up, moving across the walkway, back towards his hanging tire. "Athena? Are you-"

" _Winston_."

Athena's voice was panicked, a fluttery tone he had only heard twice before. The first time, back when the Swiss base exploded, but the second had been much more recent. Talon's attack, Reaper's infiltration. Winston would rip that demon apart with his bare _hands_ if- No. No, he couldn't think about that. He had to figure out where she was. He needed to get to the basement, to her core, to run diagnostics, to…

The de-facto leader landed once more before the exit of his laboratory, but this time it was not breakfast that caught his attention. Instead, his eyes were pulled to the right, to the pile of robotic parts that had only just arrived the week before. There, laying in the middle of loose limbs and lifeless optics, lay a small droid. Or rather, it was _supposed_ to be a droid; a mindless lab partner to help with more dangerous experiments. But the creature that stared back at him was sentient, with fear behind bright blue optics. It tried to move, to push itself to its feet, but fell to its knees mere inches from the pile. A keening noise escaped its lips.

" _Winston_."

It was then he realized Athena's voice came not from the speakers, but from the little body kneeling before him. It- she?- tried to reach forward, but the shifting of weight from four limbs to three had her toppling forward once more. This time, though, he was there. One large hand tucked beneath her chest as the other scooped behind her back, flipping her and pulling her to his chest. She sank into his chest.

She was so small, barely half his height. The droid he had ordered had been made for science, not for fighting, and it showed. Her form was slight and thin; his hand was larger than her torso, and he could easily cradle her in one arm, a fact which made lumbering towards the door easier.

"Athena, are you-"

"I don't know." Her voice, usually so deep and rich and _confident_ , trembled, much like the hands that clung to his fur. "I don't know what's happened to me."

He sent out an emergency ping to the recalled agents. Medical, five minutes, emergency.

"I'm scared, Winston."

The gorilla lowered his head, touched his forehead to hers. "It's going to be okay."


	3. Chapter 2

[guitar solo] time to get some interaction!

three chapters in, and this one is a little longer! i hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Athena had never known what it meant to be overstimulated until that moment. Surrounded in the medical bay, everything felt so loud, so overwhelming. Dr. Ziegler asking Winston question after question, the Soldier and Ana Amari both looking at her, murmuring behind their hands. Even Mei-Ling stared at her, wide-eyed and wondrous. They had all met Omnics before, but she was no Omnic. The droid her consciousness inhabited was no Omnic shell; it was not meant to be truly _alive_ and _sentient_ , much less an artificial intelligence of her power.

"But what could have caused it?"

"I ain't too fond of havin' _another_ cunty robot 'round here…"

"- _bogan_."

"Have you checked on-"

"-make sure it hasn't corrupted-"

"Did she do this?"

"We get anymore-"

"-think Talon?"

Athena tugged at the blanket Winston had draped over her, wrapping it tighter and tighter around her frame, desperate to hide herself. She pressed her back against the wall, curled into the cot she had been deposited upon. As though she could make herself disappear, as though she could wake up and all of it be a bad dream. She wasn't supposed to be _here_. She wasn't supposed to be **physical**. She was no Omnic. She was no robot, no matter what the _Junker_ insisted. She was an artificial intelligence, and they had their place in the world.

And that was not in the middle of Overwatch's medical bay.

"-was it?"

"Reaper."

"And Thea?"

"-Thea?"

"Athena."

" _Athena_!"

The aforementioned AI jumped at her name, pressing against the wall, tugging the blanket tighter around her. Wide blue optics searched the faces of those surrounding her until they found Winston's. Her shoulders relaxed.

"How are you feeling?"

Scared. Dysphoric. Sick. _**Violated**_.

Something had been forced inside of her. Something had forced its coding onto her own, torn and twisted her very being until it snapped beneath the pressure. And when she thought she could hurt no more, she had been tossed aside and forced into the nearest _shell_ ; into a body too small for all she was. But no matter how she was truly feeling, Athena could not force herself to admit to the sickness in her stomach. Her metaphorical stomach.

Instead, her shoulders merely rose and fell weakly. Her gaze shifted from Winston, even as the gorilla moved to kneel before her. One large hand came up, fingertips brushed her cheek, though they did not remain in contact with her metallic flesh for long. Athena pulled away, turned away. His fingers curled inward before his hand fell away, resting atop his knee. Still, he did not look away from her.

"Do you know what happened?"

Once more, the AI said nothing and instead shook her head.

The Soldier scoffed behind Winston, crossed his arms over his chest. "Winston, I think you need to take a closer look at her. Reaper's recent attack is too coincidental. You and I both know Talon had a hand in this. For all we know, the droid could be part of their plan. It could be their invention, an attempt at infiltration. The real Athena could be-"

"I am the real Athena!" Her voice startled even her, but this time Athena did not flinch away. She shifted in her seat, stared down the Soldier with every bit of strength she could muster. "And you are not one to talk about pretending, Commander Morrison! As though a mask and a _receding hairline_ could change your biotic signatures..."

There was a resurgence of whispers, but this time they were not about her. Mei-Ling glanced between Ana and the Soldier. Genji and Jesse shared a knowing look. Despite the lack of surprise at the revelation, the bit of skin left uncovered by his mask turned a bright red. Bushy white eyebrows furrowed, and for just a second, Athena was no longer there. She was back, back during the Omnic Crisis. A tall, handsome Jack Morrison stood before her. The Strike Commander of Overwatch reading file after file, giving orders, hiding in his office for just a moment's rest while soldier and civilian alike demanded that same _moment_ of his time for their own purposes.

"Forgive me, Commander." This time, her voice was but a whisper. Her gaze fell away, to the foot of her cot. "I overstepped my boundaries."

The Solder- the _Commander_ \- seemed to soften, shoulders sagging ever so slightly. He tilted his head, gaze shifting to Ana. It was hard to tell if he was looking for aid or sympathy, but no matter what he needed, Ana wasn't going to give it. The sniper's lips were curled, humor crinkling the corners of her eyes. One gloved hand lifted, to hide escaping giggles, and for just a moment, she, too, looked like the person Athena remembered. Overwatch's Second in Command, strong and tall and sure; ready to do what needed to be done, no matter if that meant taking a life or standing up to Jack Morrison himself.

"I think it best we clear the room," the Captain finally said, and clasped her hands before her. There was a warmth behind her eyes, gaze briefly directed at Athena, before once more those eyes hardened. Ana nodded her head and gestured towards the door, "Everybody out! We're overwhelming her. Let the professionals handle this."

For a moment, no one moved. All eyes were on Athena.

That is, until Ana hit the butt of her rifle against the floor. Mei-Ling was the first to scurry out the door, quickly followed by McCree and Genji, but not before the latter gave Athena a sympathetic glance. The others soon joined them, until only Winston, Ziegler, and the Captain herself remained the room. Taking a few steps forward, Ana pressed a kiss to Athena's forehead, murmuring, "It will be okay, ḥabībti," before she, too, was gone.

The door now shut, Athena shifted her gaze between the two of them. Angela may not have been a programmer, but she knew enough about Omnics to perform a needed physical. And Winston- Winston, the only form of contact and comfort she'd had since the Petras Act. She knew she was safe, so long as he was around. Slowly, she uncurled, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders and nestle across her back and lap.

"Where do you want me to start?"

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Oh, you're just frustrated Athena got the best of you." Chuckling, Ana took the whistling kettle from the stove, moving across the kitchen to where Morrison and Fareeha both sat. Three cups waiting for tea; three cups quickly filled with boiling water, while Fareeha filled the strainers. "She is scared, Jack- like we all are. If Talon could do this to her, who knows what they are capable of?"

"It's not just what she said." With a sigh, Jack reached up, unclipping both his mask and visor and placing them aside. He rubbed both hands across his face, over scarred skin and ruined eyes. "I would have preferred to keep this a secret for a little longer."

"Not much of a secret."

Those sightless eyes shifted towards her, "That's not the point." He paused, then shook his head. "If it's Talon, at least we know what we're up against. We know how they got information on Athena. But if it isn't Talon, if there's another organization out there…"

"It's Talon." Ana nudged the cup closer, waiting until Jack's visor was back on his face to continue. Conversations, whether serious of light hearted, should never be had without a cup or two of tea. Conversations where their very world was in danger required at least three. "Gabriel knows what Athena is. If anyone was able to pass that information onto Sombra or Doomfist, it was him."

This time, it was not Jack but Fareeha who spoke up, the teacup a breath away from her lips. "What do you mean?"

"About Reyes or Athena?" Jack asked, and both he and Ana chuckled, though the sound was hollow. "Ask your mother."

The Soldier slid his visor back onto his face, leaving the mask off for now, and added two cubes of sugar to his tea. Fareeha turned to her mother, but Ana merely shook her head. There were some things better left unsaid to children; there were some heroes she could not tarnish, not yet. But above all else, there were secrets the United Nations had killed to keep; Ana Amari would put her daughter in no more danger than necessary.

"Not today, ḥabībti."

For a moment, there was silence. Jack and Fareeha both returned to their tea, though Ana could not bring herself to lift the cup. After all her years working for Overwatch and working in the Wastelands, she had thought she had seen it all. She had survived a traumatic brain injury, seen people she loved die and return once more. Her own daughter had risen to a position beyond what she had ever expected, and she was so proud. But Talon now had a virus capable of expelling an artificial intelligence from its very core and into a host, a small being with no direct connection to any of Overwatch.

Had this been done during its height, the attack would have crippled the entire organization.

A soft laugh pulled Ana from her thoughts, and both sniper and soldier turned to look at Fareeha, who grinned behind her cup. For a moment, the security chief looked as though she was no fully present, as though she was somewhere else. Some _when_ else, perhaps. Fareeha placed the half-empty mug to the side, tapped her nails against the ceramic.

"Mum, do you remember when I was little, and I would spend _hours_ running up and down the hallways of Gibraltar?" Fareeha shifted, rested her chin on her palm, and continued, "I would play hide and go seek with no one. I would play soldier, and spy. But no matter where I went, Athena would always keep an eye on me, even when no one else could find me. She made sure I never got into any real trouble"

Pouring more tea into her mug, Ana chuckled, "I remember. I also remember that was before you could understand the concept of an artificial intelligence, and so you called Athena the _voice in the wall_. You chatted with her non-stop, as though she was your best friend. You always wanted to meet her."

"And now I suppose I'll finally get that chance."

* * *

the headcanon at the end of this chapter (with Athena being the voice in the wall) is a co-headcanon between myself and EternalEpoch.

it is also worth noting this is the first big writing project i've worked on in months, so i would really appreciate some feedback!


End file.
